The present invention relates to clothes washing machines and, in particular, to a dispenser for such washing machines dispensing laundry aids such as bleach, softener, bluing or detergent.
Clothes washing machines suitable for residential or commercial use may provide a washtub into which clothes are loaded for agitation with water and detergent. In top loading washing machines, the washtub opens upwardly under a lid through which the clothes may be inserted. Front loading washing machines use a front opening washtub sealed by a front opening door through which clothes are placed. Both types of machines may have a console extending upward at the rear edge of the top surface of the machine. Washing machine controls, such as the cycle timer, water temperature, and fill height controls, may be located on this console for easy access.
Detergent may be added to the washtub at the beginning of the wash cycle, however, this is typically not the ideal time to add other laundry aids including bleach which may interact with the detergent decreasing its effectiveness or may be unnecessarily diluted and lost. Attending to the introduction of laundry aids at different times in the wash cycle is inconvenient to the consumer. Thus, there is considerable interest in dispensing systems that automatically add laundry aids to the washtub at different times during the wash cycle.
Some laundry aids, in particular fabric softener and detergent, are relatively viscous and have a tendency to clog simple valve systems. Accordingly, such as fabric softener may be dispensed through valve-less mechanisms. Fabric softener, for example, may be dispensed from a container attached to the agitator of the washtub. During the spin cycle, the fabric softener is released by centrifugal force which causes the fabric softener to rise up over the lip of its container. The container is made removable so that periodically it may be washed to remove residue resulting from incomplete release of the softener which returns to the bottom of the container at the end of the spin cycle.
Such a dispenser is only designed for top loading washing machines, and only suitable for laundry aids that may be added during the spin cycle. The location of this type of dispenser is inconvenient and consequently the consumer may overlook filling it.
Some of these problems are eliminated by the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,170 to Ikeda. The ""170 patent teaches a dispenser that opens from the console of the washing machine. Valves are eliminated by the use of a xe2x80x9cdump-cupxe2x80x9d which receives laundry aids through a door in the console and tips to pour the laundry aids into the washtub. Tipping of the cup is controlled by the cycle timer providing flexibility in timing the introduction of the laundry aid into the wash. In the dumping position, a water stream may flush residue from the dump cup to minimize the build-up of sticky residue.
In order for the dump cup to be easily tipped and for its motion to be unobstructed, the dump cup is positioned near the bottom of the console and the laundry aids introduced by a vertically extending chute or funnel. Thus removed from the sight of the consumer, the dump cup may be easily overfilled if the consumer does not carefully pre-measure the laundry aid or if the consumer forgets that the dump cup has been previously filled. The dump-cup is shallow to minimize the amount of tipping necessary to empty it. This shallowness restricts the capacity of the dump cup for reasonably available areas within the console.
The present invention provides a system for release of a variety of laundry aids using an electronic valve system. When used as part of a console mounted dispenser, the valve system allows more conveniently sized accumulator cups whose interior volume may be viewed as they are filled by the consumer, eliminating the need for pre-measuring of the laundry aid. The valve system also allows a more compact installation of multiple accumulator cups next to each other, even in the console.
The valve system of the present invention also makes it possible for the cups to be removed for inspection and cleaning, if desired, and by allowing dispensing to occur from a lowermost drainage point in the cup, permits more complete drainage of that cup, reducing waste and build-up. The configuration of the valve system components permits self-cleaning of critical valve elements with a flushing water stream, if desired.
Specifically then, the present invention provides for a washing machine having a housing with an upper surface and a washtub positioned within the housing to receive clothing to be washed. A console extending upward from the upper surface of the housing includes a door and a laundry aid chamber is positioned within the console behind the door to be revealed when the door is open. A channel leads to the washtub and at least one electrically actuated valve is positioned between the laundry aid chamber and the channel, the valve operates, when closed, to cause the accumulation of introduced laundry aid in the laundry aid chamber as visible by a user through the door and when opened, facing the laundry aid accumulated in the laundry aid chamber into the channel.
Thus it is one object of the invention to permit convenient introduction of a laundry aid into a console-mounted dispenser without pre-measuring. Use of a valve, rather than a tipping of the accumulator cup, allows the dispensing cup to be sized and located so that its interior is visible to the consumer as a guide to proper filling.
The laundry aid chamber may include an outer chamber wall receiving at least one removable cup having an upper open end and a lower dispensing orifice. The cup may fit within the outer chamber wall so that a dispensing orifice engages with the electrically actuated valve. The electrically actuated valve communicates with the dispensing orifice to control the flow of laundry placed in the cup.
It is thus another object of the invention to provide for accumulator cups that may yet be removable for cleaning and yet are safely contained within the outer chamber walls for support, stability and the capture of spills and the like.
The valve may provide a valve head movable vertically from an upward closed position to a lower open position. The valve head may abut a bottom surface of the dispensing orifice to stop the flow therefrom when in the upwardly closed position. The laundry aid chamber and the removable cup may include interengaging detent surfaces holding the cup in place within the laundry aid chamber against the predetermined upward force.
It is thus another object of the invention to provide for a valve that allows easy removal of the cups and upon such removal, a cleaning of the valve seat of the valve such as an integral part of the cup.
The washing machine may include a second electrically actuated valve, and a second removable cup, the second removable cup also having an upper open end in a lower dispensing orifice. The second removable cup may fit within the laundry aid chamber adjacent to the first removable cup so that the dispensing orifice of the second removable cup engages with the second electrically actuated valve and wherein the second electrically actuated valve communicates with the dispensing orifice of the second removable cup to control the flow of laundry aid placed in the cup to the channel.
Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a dispensing system that allows a clustering of the dispensing cups for different laundry aids at a single convenient location, for example, the console. The ability to dispense the laundry aids by valves rather than dumping allows greater flexibility in the dimensions of the dispensing cups.
The cups may be of different colors and may include keys preventing engagement of the first cup with the second electrically actuated valve and vice versa. The cups may include graduations and may have different volumes related in ratio to a volumetric ratio between typical usages of predetermined laundry aids intended for the cups. The underside of the door may be exposed when it is open and may include indicia indicating the proper laundry aid for each cup.
Thus it is another object of the invention to identify the laundry aids to be placed in the adjacent cups and to assist the user in properly filling the cups both in type and amount of laundry aid.
The washing machine may include a bypass passage communicating between the outer chamber wall and the channel to the washtub and the cup may include at least one vertical wall fitting within the outer chamber wall that provides a chute between the vertical wall and the corresponding outer chamber wall and wherein the cup provides an overflow passage such as may be an orifice within the vertical wall of the cup communicating with the chute.
Thus it is another object of the invention to contain spills and overflow if the consumer overfills the dispensing cup.
The laundry aid chamber may include a flush channel communicating with a source of water and passing the water in the flush channel between the bottom surface of the orifice of the dispensing cup and the valve head of the electrically actuated valve when the valve is in the open position.
Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a simple valve mechanism that may remain free from accumulated residue of viscous laundry aids such as fabric softener.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment and its particular objects and advantages do not define the scope of the invention, however, and reference must be made therefore to the claims for interpreting the scope of the invention.